Newshttp://coloradocompact.com/news
enOPINION: Fort Collins Coloradoan: On the farm, labor shortages prompt call for immigration reformhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/opinion-fort-collins-coloradoan-farm-labor-shortages-prompt-call-immigration-reform
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<div>When you turn on the TV at night and hear newscasters discuss immigration policy, rural Coloradans are not usually part of the conversation. But as a third-generation Colorado farmer, I can tell you that our country’s immigration policies are having a profoundly negative effect on farmers and ranchers throughout our state.</div>
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<div>I am the owner of Petrocco Farms in Brighton — 2,600 acres of farmland in Northern Colorado. If you’re buying onions, cabbages, lettuce, peppers or green beans from your local grocer during growing season, there is a good chance it came from my farm.</div>
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<div>How does immigration affect me? Plain and simple, I struggle to find the workers I need to grow and harvest vegetables. As a result, crops are often left in the field.</div>
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<div>Seasonal farm labor requires long days of stooping over to harvest vegetables in the hot summer sun, and despite local recruitment efforts, I am only able to satisfy about three-quarters of the work I need through the local workforce. This means that an effective and efficient immigration system is critical to my ability to meet my labor demands.</div>
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<div>Even in cases where the system works, and seasonal workers are lined up, farmers and ranchers are at the mercy of unpredictable weather cycles. This past season, for example, which saw an unusually early harvest, left many farmers scrambling to fill unexpected labor shortages.</div>
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<div>Our current visa system does not have the flexibility necessary to easily solve these problems, and this is exactly the type of inflexibility that is a growing threat to the success of my business and the strength of Colorado’s agriculture community, which contributes $40 billion to the state economy every year.</div>
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<div>We need reform. That’s why I’ve signed onto the Colorado Compact, a nonpartisan effort led by Senator Michael Bennet and former Republican Senator Hank Brown to bring together all the communities affected by the immigration debate — farmers, business owners, faith leaders, rights advocates, law enforcement officers — to agree on a shared set of immigration principles that can guide federal reform in Washington.</div>
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<div>The compact calls for an immigration system that is flexible enough to address the needs of businesses while protecting the interests of workers, including a visa system that is both responsive and effective at meeting the demands of today’s economy. The compact also calls for a system that accurately, reliably and affordably determines who is permitted to work, ensuring an adequate labor force for a growing economy and for growing industries like agriculture.</div>
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<div>I don’t align politically with everybody who has signed onto the Compact, but that’s where the power of this document lies. It has brought people together who don’t agree on everything, to put our differences aside, acknowledge that our current immigration system is ineffective and work together to develop a real and lasting solution.</div>
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<div>The Colorado Compact shows that here in Colorado we are willing to solve tough problems. We can have honest and reasonable conversations about controversial issues. I’m proud to be a signer, and I hope that Washington takes notice.</div>
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<div>Dave Petrocco, Sr., is the owner of Petrocco Farms in Brighton.</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:40:42 +0000admin566 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/opinion-fort-collins-coloradoan-farm-labor-shortages-prompt-call-immigration-reform#commentsAspen Daily News: Push by hotel general manager for immigration reform bearing fruithttp://coloradocompact.com/content/aspen-daily-news-push-hotel-general-manager-immigration-reform-bearing-fruit
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<div>After years of advocating for immigration reform, in the face of federal inaction, Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) chair emeritus Warren Klug is hopeful legislation is on the way.</div>
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<div>President Obama’s aides have signaled that comprehensive immigration reform is a top priority of his second term, likely to be rolled out after the so-called “fiscal cliff” negotiations conclude and a new gun control initiative.</div>
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<div>While Klug’s efforts on behalf of resort employers seemed futile for much of his time lobbying legislators, after the November election, it appears Republicans and Democrats have been forced to fix a broken immigration system.</div>
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<div>“Clearly the major Hispanic voting bloc has made a difference in how the politicians on both sides of the aisle look at the issue,” Klug said. “Also, people across the country see there needs to be a more humane way to deal with undocumented workers who are part of the fabric of our community. And employers are seeing that we need the people we need for jobs that are not in demand from other groups.”</div>
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<div>Klug, general manager of Aspen Square Hotel and Condominums, said he thinks legislation would likely start with sealing the borders to stem the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico and extend current undocumented workers a path to citizenship.</div>
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<div>Two years ago, as ACRA chair, Klug began actively lobbying lawmakers in both Denver and Washington to take action on reform that would give undocumented workers who hold labor-intensive jobs in hotels and other resort businesses a way to work legally.</div>
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<div>In July of last year, after a meeting between local business leaders and White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, he said immigrant-dependent resort businesses wouldn’t accept lawmakers putting off the issue anymore. </div>
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<div>“The conventional wisdom is that nothing is going to happen for two years until after the [2012] election,” Klug said at the time. “But I hope that we can get it off the back burner.”</div>
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<div>In the time since, he’s led resort efforts on the issue, including working with Sen. Michael Bennet on “The Colorado Compact,” a non-binding document with a blueprint for immigration reform unveiled earlier this month.</div>
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<div>The compact states Colorado law enforcement officials should focus on criminal activity, not enforcing civil immigration laws, among other principles. It calls for federal solutions to the immigration problem, to strengthen border security and simultaneously allow immigrants to continue working. It also specifically calls for policies that will not break up families through deportation.</div>
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<div>The coalition supporting the compact includes bipartisan lawmakers, resort businesses, educators, farmers and law enforcement officials.</div>
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<div>ACRA’s board endorsed the compact in May, following an Aspen Skiing Co. endorsement and a survey showing more than 70 percent of chamber members supported it.</div>
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<div>Klug said he is hopeful that the White House and U.S. Congress will pick up the business- and family-friendly planks of the compact’s platform. Harsh state laws elsewhere in recent years, he said, have failed — and the feds have seen that. </div>
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<div>“It’s clear that there’s more attention on the national level,” Klug said. “And states are looking at this as well. How are things working out in Arizona, Alabama and those places that passed stiff immigration laws on their own? Not very well, especially for employers.”</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:21:00 +0000admin565 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/aspen-daily-news-push-hotel-general-manager-immigration-reform-bearing-fruit#commentsEDITORIAL: Pueblo Chieftain: The compacthttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-pueblo-chieftain-compact
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<div>A BIPARTISAN push to encourage a rational national immigration policy has been launched in Colorado.</div>
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<div>Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and former Republican Sen. Hank Brown are leading the Colorado Compact, which has six components, the result of meetings across the state meant to promote a civil conversation in Colorado that can lead to real and lasting reforms at the federal level.</div>
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<div>Said Sen. Bennet recently, “We now have the benefit of Colorado’s voice to inform the work of the new Congress. There undoubtedly will be some tough conversations and disagreements ahead, but I am confident that by bringing a little bit of Colorado commonsense and grit to Washington, we will fix our immigration system by ensuring it is more aligned with the needs of our economy, families and communities.”</div>
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<div>That’s exactly what we’ve been preaching in these columns.</div>
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<div>Here is a rundown of the six components:</div>
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<div>Federal responsibility. Immigration policy is a federal issue between the U.S. government and other countries. We urge the Colorado congressional delegation to work to enact immigration policy that improves our immigration system, keeps our communities safe, and protects our borders.</div>
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<div>Strengthening our economy. Colorado is best served by a free-market philosophy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity. Our immigration system must be flexible enough to address the needs of businesses while protecting the interests of workers.</div>
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<div>Ensuring our national security. Our immigration system must ensure the protection of our communities and national borders.</div>
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<div>Family. Strong families are critical to developing successful individuals and cohesive communities. Our immigration policies should prioritize keeping close families together.</div>
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<div>Effective enforcement. We support a law enforcement strategy that focuses on public safety, targets serious crime, and safeguards witnesses and victims.</div>
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<div>A commonsense approach. Immigrants are part of our communities across Colorado. Our immigration policies must provide a sensible path forward for immigrants who are here without legal status, are of good character, pay taxes, and are committed to becoming fully participating members of our society and culture.</div>
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<div>From its beginning, this country has been a nation of immigrants. We should welcome those whose skills are needed, whether they be roofers or IT specialists, doctors or hospitality workers or farmworkers.</div>
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<div>We laud Messrs. Bennet and Brown for putting such sharp focus on this national debate.</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:18:52 +0000admin564 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-pueblo-chieftain-compact#commentsEDITORIAL: Greeley Tribune: Colorado Compact represents an important first stephttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-greeley-tribune-colorado-compact-represents-important-first-step
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<div>There once was a time when we might not have taken much notice of a meeting that featured a group of politicians who did nothing more than talk. It would have taken substantive action to catch our eye.</div>
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<div>Or, if we had noticed, we certainly wouldn't have written a glowing editorial about it. We would simply have filed it away under the heading of "things politicians do," and awaited the results.</div>
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<div>That said, in the case of the Colorado Compact -- a broad bipartisan push for immigration reform -- we have taken notice, and we are fully supportive.</div>
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<div>Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and former Republican Sen. Hank Brown have spearheaded Colorado's effort to get the ball rolling on federal immigration reform. They held a news conference last week in Denver, which included Republican Weld District Attorney Ken Buck, to make the effort public.</div>
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<div>The compact, which has the signatures of more than 100 influential leaders and organizations from Colorado, calls for the nation's leaders to move past political rhetoric and find viable options to fix a "broken immigration system" that keep communities safe and "address the needs of businesses while protecting the interests of workers."</div>
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<div>This, of course, sounds more like political hot air than meaningful action, but it is real progress. The fact that leaders from both parties came together to endorse the call at this time signals a willingness to use the narrow window between election cycles for the hard work it will take to actually hammer out a deal. That's important because in the context of an election, immigration reform often becomes destructively politicized. The compact also means Colorado -- home to roughly 180,000 undocumented immigrants -- becomes the fourth state to put forth such a document.</div>
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<div>The fact that a gathering of politicians and dignitaries represents progress offers a measure of just how broken the U.S. immigration laws are and how dysfunctional the system that could fix those laws has been.</div>
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<div>We fervently hope this effort will result in real reform and honest, pragmatic immigration policy that provides a reasonable way for agricultural producers to get the labor they need and keeps the country's borders safe.</div>
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<div>For years Weld's producers, like those across the country, have lost workers to the better-paying jobs and have struggled to find local residents willing to do agriculture's physical labor, even as the nation's unemployment rate has hit double digits. Farmers need a reasonable program that connects them with the labor they need. The current H-2A Visa season guest-worker program -- which can cost farmers as much $3,000 per person in initial costs to bring workers in -- is bogged down with regulations and fees, so much so that many producers have given up on using it.</div>
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<div>Among other things, the Colorado Compact calls for reform of the guest-worker program.</div>
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<div>A functioning immigration system along the lines of what the compact calls for would help immigrants, too. It would bring logic to the system, which may encourage more people to enter the country legally rather than take their chances on the border, and it could halt some of the worst practices of immigration enforcement that rips families apart needlessly.</div>
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<div>Colorado Agriculture Commissioner John Salazar told the Tribune this week he and Bennet are optimistic that serious talks on immigration reform will begin in the nation's capital in the first quarter of next year.</div>
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<div>We, too, feel a little more optimistic than we have been in the past. The Colorado Compact and the groundswell it represents are a large part of the reason.</div>
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<div>Immigration reform, however, will require more than just talk.</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:16:34 +0000admin563 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-greeley-tribune-colorado-compact-represents-important-first-step#commentsEDITORIAL: Colorado Springs Gazette: Politicians embrace immigration compacthttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-colorado-springs-gazette-politicians-embrace-immigration-compact
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<div>Immigrants built this country into the envy of the world. Future immigrants and their offspring may save us from economic despair. If there is one public policy topic on which left and right should find abundant common ground, it’s immigration.</div>
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<div>On the right, conservative legend Ronald Reagan was an unapologetic proponent of more immigration. He referred to anti-immigration hysteria as “the illegal alien fuss.”</div>
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<div>“Are great numbers of our unemployed really victims of the illegal alien invasion, or are those illegal tourists actually doing work our own people won’t do? One thing is certain in this hungry world: No regulation or law should be allowed if it results in crops rotting in the fields for lack of harvesters.”</div>
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<div>In Colorado, we saw crops rotting in fields for lack of harvesters one summer last decade after the state legislature passed a law designed to discourage migrant farm labor. Farmers told Colorado media that no reasonable wage was enough to attract and keep local laborers.</div>
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<div>George W. Bush, who won two elections with strong Latino support, said: “Not only do immigrants help build our economy, they invigorate our soul.”</div>
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<div>From the left, Democratic Florida Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, said: “We have 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country that are part of the backbone of our economy and this is not only a reality but a necessity.”</div>
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<div>The late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said: “Immigration is the story of American history. From the earliest days of our nation, generation upon generation of immigrants has come to be part of a land that offers freedom and opportunity to those willing to do their part.”</div>
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<div>We cannot allow immigration reform to continue as a political football in the political battle of left vs. right. Too much is at stake for either side to use this issue against the other.</div>
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<div>So we thank Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, and former Sen. Hank Brown, a Republican, for working with an impressive array of Colorado politicians, business people and religious leaders to resolve this country’s immigration mess.</div>
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<div>Bennet and Brown this month unveiled a set of principles, signed by 100 reputable Coloradans, which they hope will guide a national discussion on comprehensive immigration reform. Called the Colorado Compact, the principles resulted from intermittent meetings and conversations over the past year. Among the signors is Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, the tea party Republican who ran against Bennet.</div>
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<div>Compact principles include: Federal government has a responsibility to enact and enforce immigration policy, including border control; immigration laws should strengthen the economy, ensure national security, and support families by keeping them together as much as possible; and that we need commonsense policies that reflect the importance of immigrants and provide a sensible path forward for illegal immigrants. (See full compact at: <a href="http://www.ColoradoCompact.com">www.ColoradoCompact.com</a>).</div>
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<div>Nothing would please The Gazette more than seeing great Coloradans lead a bipartisan congressional bill to reform immigration. The only source of prosperity — without exception — is the human body and mind. We need to support immigration among those with high character, while protecting the country from a small percentage of immigrants who would travel here to commit crimes and/or subsist off of others.</div>
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<div>Thanks to all who devised and signed the Colorado Compact. It represents the attitude we need, on both sides of political aisle, to restore immigration as our country’s greatest cultural and economic asset.</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:13:24 +0000admin562 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/editorial-colorado-springs-gazette-politicians-embrace-immigration-compact#commentsColorado Biz Magazine: Immigration: A sensible approach to a complex issuehttp://coloradocompact.com/content/colorado-biz-magazine-immigration-sensible-approach-complex-issue
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<div>By Kelly Brough</div>
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<div>Last month, the Denver Metro Chamber’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt a resolution adopting the Colorado Compact, which is an effort originating from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet to promote a responsible conversation on immigration in Colorado that will foster meaningful federal reform. This adopting resolution expresses our belief that immigration policies must be addressed at the federal level and the policy must be guided by the economic needs of our region and country.</div>
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<div>The Chamber’s vision to ensure Colorado’s economic vitality and quality of life served as the foundation for the board as we developed our guiding principles on this matter. Immigration is an issue that impacts Colorado businesses and the state’s economic health—we can’t have each state developing its own solutions, and we must demand our nation develop a policy that works for all of us. The Chamber focused on three areas of economic need for our state:</div>
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<div>1. As Colorado’s business leadership, the Chamber views the resolution as presenting a business-centered, sensible path to address this complex issue. The resolution adopted by the board focused on the critical challenge we face in our country and state to develop a skilled and educated workforce that can meet the business demands of today. We know that, in six short years, 67 percent of jobs in Colorado alone will require post-secondary training. Currently, only 48 percent of Colorado’s workforce has a two-year degree or more. We need more skilled workers.</div>
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<div>Further, Colorado has a population of undocumented individuals who were brought into the country prior to the age of 16, often through no choice of their own. These young people are educated in our school systems, but without a path to further that education and work legally in this country. We are not only losing an asset we need, but increasing the cost of caring for these kids over the course of their lives. By focusing on our need for an educated workforce, the Chamber’s resolution supports that when these students go on to college or to serve in the military – both which provide valuable and necessary skills we need in our workers, they then be given the opportunity to work in this country as well.</div>
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<div>2. The second area the resolution addresses is the need for highly skilled workers, such as scientists and researchers. Many of our industry clusters, such as aerospace, bioscience, energy and health care, rely on these specialized experts. Often, students from other countries attend schools in the United States and are well-educated by us, but given the limited number and the timeframes attached to these work visas, we aren’t able to take advantage of this unique expertise when we need it. The Chamber’s resolution supports more of these types of visas and for longer periods of time based on the needs of business.</div>
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<div>3. The third area address by the resolution is the need for key industries in Colorado to be able to access short-term workers. Colorado relies on temporary workers in some of our critical industries, such as ski and agriculture. We believe the needs for these types of visas should be based on the industry needs and would likely fluctuate with the overall strength of the Colorado economy.</div>
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<div>For example, when the unemployment rate is higher, we may need fewer work permits or visas of this type, but when the market is tighter, the industries may not need access to as many workers from out of the country. We believe the immigration policy should be established based on the needs of the industries that depend upon this type of workforce to be successful.</div>
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<div>We know just saying the word immigration evokes strong emotion. So many of our lives have been touched by the choices our own families made to come to the United States, sometimes generations ago, combined with current concerns about the impact policies could have on our citizens’ ability to find employment as well. We absolutely believe that, if our economic needs and growth guide our approach, we can find the right national policy on immigration and not only allay any fears for our citizens, but actually ensure we all benefit economically.</div>
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<div>Kelly J. Brough is the current president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. She previously served as the chief of staff and deputy chief of staff for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. She also served as a personnel analyst and a legislative analyst for the City and County of Denver. Kelly has served on a number of boards and commissions, including the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation board. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice from Montana State University and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver.</div> </div></div></div>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:09:25 +0000admin561 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/colorado-biz-magazine-immigration-sensible-approach-complex-issue#commentsGreeley Tribune: Colo. Compact welcomed by ag community; Salazar: ‘serious discussions’ in DC could take place early in 2013http://coloradocompact.com/content/greeley-tribune-colo-compact-welcomed-ag-community-salazar-%E2%80%98serious-discussions%E2%80%99-dc-could
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<div>By Eric Brown</div>
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<div>A recent widespread push in Colorado for immigration reform has been welcomed with open arms from a $1.5-billion agriculture industry in Weld County that’s battled existing regulations as much as or more than any other.</div>
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<div>Earlier this month, a diverse and bipartisan group revealed the “Colorado Compact” — an effort spearheaded by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., aimed at getting the ball rolling on discussions for federal immigration reform.</div>
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<div>Colorado — with an estimated 1800,000 undocumented immigrants — is now the fourth state to put forth such a document.</div>
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<div>Because of that push, Colorado Agriculture Commissioner John Salazar and others, including Bennet, believe “serious discussions” on immigration reform could begin in Washington as early as the first three months of 2013, Salazar said in a phone interview Monday.</div>
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<div>“It’s certainly time,” according to LaSalle-area farmer Dave Eckhardt, who took part in some of the approximately 200 meetings during the past year that helped in piecing together the Colorado Compact.</div>
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<div>For years, Weld’s agricultural producers, like many others nationally, have lost workers to the better-paying jobs of the oil and gas field, while also struggling to find local residents willing to do agriculture’s physical labor.</div>
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<div>And many have given up on the federal government’s existing H-2A Visa seasonal guest-worker program — describing it as too expensive with too many regulations, and not helpful to certain sectors of agriculture that don’t need seasonal work, like the dairy industry, which needs workers year-round.</div>
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<div>Some Weld County producers estimate that initial costs alone in bringing a foreign worker here through the H-2A program is about $2,000-$3,000 per person.</div>
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<div>Much to the delight of local producers, the Colorado Compact specifically calls for an improved worker-visa system.</div>
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<div>Vegetable growers, like Dave Petrocco — who farms all over Weld County, from Brighton to Greeley — have been hit hard in recent years due to labor shortages.</div>
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<div>While some crops, like corn and wheat, are harvested with machinery, vegetables require hand picking, along with other physical duties needed during the growing process.</div>
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<div>Because Petrocco couldn’t find enough workers during the fall of 2011, about 10 percent of his crops were left in the fields unharvested when winter rolled around — about a $150,000 loss, he estimates. Petrocco said he fared better this past fall, mainly because the abnormally dry and mild weather gave him and his workers more time in the fall to get everything harvested.</div>
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<div>“It’s one of the biggest challenges we face, if not the biggest challenge,” said Petrocco, who, like Eckhardt, took part in discussions that helped steer the Colorado Compact.</div>
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<div>Local producers say they’d like to offer wages that are more competitive with the oil and gas industry — Petrocco said he pays about $8 per hour wages for field workers — but added that the profit margins in vegetable and milk production don’t allow it.</div>
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<div>Signers of the Colorado Compact span faith organizations, law enforcement agencies, the business community, immigrant-rights advocates and institutions of higher education, as well as agricultural interests. It even came with the support of Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, who challenged Bennet for his Senate seat in 2010.</div>
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<div>Compact signers say, even though the document is not legally binding, it sends a message that Colorado wants meaningful immigration reform.</div>
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<div>The Colorado Compact follows the creation of similar guiding-principle documents in Utah, Indiana and Idaho.</div>
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<div>Utah officials have said the result of The Utah Compact — unveiled in November 2010 — allowed the Utah Legislature to pass a guest-worker law, which is set to go into effect in July 2013, and would grant work permits to illegal immigrants in the state after they paid fines and passed background checks.</div>
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<div>Salazar, along with agriculture commissioners from all other 49 states, put their support behind the Utah Compact last year — because ag producers everywhere have battled worker shortages in recent years.</div>
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<div>This past fall, the Western Growers Association in California — an organization in the most ag-productive state in the U.S. — reported a 20 percent drop in laborers.</div>
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<div>The problem has been even worse in states that have tightened their belts on immigration, like Georgia and Alabama, where billions in agricultural production were lost in 2011.</div>
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<div>“It’s easily one the biggest issues facing agriculture,” said Bill Hammerich, CEO with the Greeley-based Colorado Livestock Association, who also took part in Colorado Compact talks. “We’ve been waiting a long time for healthy discussions on immigration reform ... and it seems like we’re finally taking steps in the right direction.”</div>
<div> </div> </div></div></div>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:27:03 +0000admin556 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/greeley-tribune-colo-compact-welcomed-ag-community-salazar-%E2%80%98serious-discussions%E2%80%99-dc-could#commentsVoz de América: Piden reforma migratoria en Coloradohttp://coloradocompact.com/content/voz-de-am%C3%A9rica-piden-reforma-migratoria-en-colorado
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<div>Más de un centenar de líderes políticos demócratas y republicanos, religiosos, representantes de instituciones y empresarios del estado de Colorado suscribieron y enviaron a Washington una carta que urge al gobierno de EE.UU. a que implemente una reforma de inmigración.</div>
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<div>La misiva, denominada Acuerdo de Colorado, fue dada a conocer en un acto efectuado en la Universidad de Denver presidido por el gobernador del estado, John Hickenlooper. Iniciativas similares han sido adoptadas también en Utah, Iowa e Indiana.</div>
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<div>Entre las propuestas del acuerdo figuran la necesidad de modificar el sistema actual de visas con la finalidad de beneficiar la economía del país, y también hallar la forma de legalizar el estatus de muchos inmigrantes indocumentados que han pagado sus impuestos y mantienen una buena conducta social.</div>
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<div>Según la carta, debe regularizarse la situación migratoria de muchos jóvenes indocumentados (que aspiran que se apruebe el Dream Act), otorgarse más visas a trabajadores extranjeros calificados y considerar prioritaria la unidad de las familias de inmigrantes.</div>
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<div>El principal impulsor del acuerdo fue el senador demócrata Michael Bennet, pero la iniciativa contó también con el apoyo de políticos republicanos como el fiscal de condado y excandidato a legislador federal Ken Buck.</div> </div></div></div>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:25:59 +0000admin555 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/voz-de-am%C3%A9rica-piden-reforma-migratoria-en-colorado#commentsMartí News: Demócratas y republicanos intensifican su campaña para una reforma migratoriahttp://coloradocompact.com/content/mart%C3%AD-news-dem%C3%B3cratas-y-republicanos-intensifican-su-campa%C3%B1a-para-una-reforma-migratoria
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<div>Polticos demócratas y republicanos anunciaron hoy la intensificación de una campaña conjunta a favor de una reforma migratoria integral en el primer semestre de 2013, con prioridad en la economía, la seguridad y la unidad de las familias.</div>
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<div>"Hace casi 18 meses comenzamos en Colorado a dibujar el mapa de un nuevo camino en cuanto a inmigración, alejado de la retórica extrema que atrapó a la conversación nacional", dijo en rueda de prensa el senador demócrata por Colorado Michael Bennet, uno de los líderes de la nueva alianza que impulsa la aprobación de la reforma.</div>
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<div>Bennet convocó durante el último año y medio cientos de reuniones públicas y logró que más de 100 dirigentes locales, de distintos partidos políticos, credos y estilos de vida, firmasen el llamado</div>
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<div>Acuerdo de Colorado sobre migración, basado en documentos similares anteriormente firmados en Iowa, Indiana y Utah.</div>
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<div>El senador indicó que los principios enumerados en esos acuerdos (responsabilidad federal, fortalecimiento económico, seguridad nacional, unidad familiar, cumplimiento efectivo de la ley y enfoque pragmáticos) deberían ser la base de una alianza formada por personas de todo el espectro político que quieren que el Congreso asuma su responsabilidad de reformar el actual sistema migratorio.</div>
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<div>Por su parte, Mark Shurtleff, republicano y procurador general de Justicia de Utah, aseveró que la ley SB1070 de Arizona, luego copiada en otros estados, surgió por la frustración de esos gobiernos por la percibida inaccin de la Administración federal con</div>
<div>respecto a temas migratorios.</div>
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<div>"El camino de la autodeportación y de centrarse sólo en el cumplimiento estricto de la ley es el camino equivocado", dijo Shurtleff, quien en su momento gestionó y firmó el Acuerdo de UTA sobre inmigración.</div>
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<div>"Centrarnos sólo en castigos es dañino para nuestra comunidad", declaró Shurtleff, que consideró que hay una forma "mejor y distinta" para responder al problema migratorio, en referencia a una reforma "progresista, equitativa, completa y bipartidista".</div>
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<div>"La gran baja en el debate inmigratorio ha sido la verdad. Las leyes (anti-inmigrantes) se basan en información distorsionada", comentó el alto funcionario de Utah.</div>
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<div>Para Shurtleff, los estados deben tener cierta responsabilidad en cuanto a las leyes migratorias, pero no en el sentido de aprobar unilateralmente leyes sobre esta materia.</div>
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<div>"Los estados son el laboratorio de nuestra democracia. Si cada vez son más los estados que respaldan una reforma migratoria, el Congreso tendrá que seguir esa dirección", indicó.</div>
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<div>En la misma rueda de prensa, Kelly J. Brough, electa en agosto pasado como presidenta de la Cámara de Comercio de Metro Denver, firmante del Acuerdo de Colorado, afirmó que en el debate inmigratorio hay que centrarse en los "resultados económicos y dejar nuestras emociones y la retórica".</div> </div></div></div>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:24:04 +0000admin554 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/mart%C3%AD-news-dem%C3%B3cratas-y-republicanos-intensifican-su-campa%C3%B1a-para-una-reforma-migratoria#commentsColorado Springs Gazette: Colorado Springs leaders sign immigration reform compacthttp://coloradocompact.com/content/colorado-springs-gazette-colorado-springs-leaders-sign-immigration-reform-compact
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<div>By J Schroyer</div>
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<div>A bipartisan political declaration on immigration reform, which aims at pressuring the federal government to pass new immigration legislation, was released Sunday called the “Colorado Compact,” and at least eight of the signatories are prominent Colorado Springs figures.</div>
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<div>The compact also includes stances on immigration reform’s relationship to national security, the economy, family and effective law enforcement. The effort was spearheaded by Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown.</div>
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<div>The document was signed by dozens of Colorado citizens and organizations, including the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, Colorado College President Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler, Colorado Springs Bishop Michael J. Sheridan, Broadmoor Hotel President Steve Bartolin, El Pomar Foundation Chairman and CEO Bill Hybl, and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who hails from Colorado Springs.</div>
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<div>The County Sheriffs of Colorado also put their names on the document; the organization includes El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa.</div>
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<div>The federal government must “provide a sensible path forward for immigrants who are here without legal status, are of good character, pay taxes, and are committed to becoming fully participating members of our society and culture,” the document reads.</div>
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<div>“This includes a visa system that is both responsive and effective at meeting the demands of our economy. It should also acknowledge the beneficial economic contributions immigrants make as workers, taxpayers, and consumers.”</div>
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<div><a href="http://coloradocompact.com/">Read the compact here.</a></div>
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<div><a href="http://coloradocompact.com/supporters">Here’s a list of all the bipartisan supporters.</a></div>
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<div>Colorado’s Evangelical Immigration Table also put out a press release in support of the compact, which quoted Will Stoller-Lee, the director of the Fuller Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs.</div>
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<div>“Many of us have grown tired of the strident and divisive tone of the political debate in our country, but the Colorado Compact is a promising initiative to break through the current stalemate and produce a lasting bipartisan solution to the broken immigration system,” Stoller-Lee said.</div>
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<div>“There is a rich tradition in the Bible that emphasizes hospitality, both in terms of how we welcome the stranger and immigrant, and also how we engage in discussion with those who start from a different point of view.”</div>
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<div>The compact is the result of more than a year of work and over 450 meetings all over Colorado.</div>
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<div>The Denver Post put together a more comprehensive story on Sunday. <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22154749/colorado-steps-bipartisan-forefront-immigration-reform?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com">Check it out here.</a></div>
<div> </div> </div></div></div>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:21:06 +0000admin553 at http://coloradocompact.comhttp://coloradocompact.com/content/colorado-springs-gazette-colorado-springs-leaders-sign-immigration-reform-compact#comments